Embodiments of the invention described in this specification relate generally to fluid transmission cycle counters, and more particularly, to an electronic fluid transmission cycle counter and wireless interface.
Current counters that record fluid transmission during cycles tend to be mechanical counters. These mechanical devices have many flaws in various fields. An example field of using the mechanical counter is the landfill gas industry where such mechanical counters used have problems such as producing numerous erroneous double counts, the mechanical device becoming corroded ultimately leading to failure, and a requirement of visual access to record the numbers produced on the counter. The requirement of visual access poses an additional problem, especially in the context of the landfill gas industry, in that often time to facilitate visual access, the relevant fluid lines must have a more complex routing that allows for the counter to be located away from the process of interest. This more complex routing provides additional cost in materials, service and installation, as well as an increase in the number of potential failure points of the system.
One field that uses the mechanical counter is the landfill gas industry and, in this field, there are highly corrosive gases in the environment and the counters are usually located outside in various weather conditions. When the corrosive gases encounter the mechanical counters, they tend to corrode the counters which makes it harder for technicians to read the recorded counts. This is further compounded by the potential for inclement weather conditions while attempting to read the recorded counts, making it an inconvenience for the technician to walk around to take the readings produced by the counters.
The current mechanical counters are outdated. For example, the landfill gas industry uses wireless interface devices to record the types and flow rates of gases and various other items, but they do not have a wireless interface device to record the cycles of fluid being transmitted through the pneumatic pumps in the field. The electronic sensor with wireless interface to count the fluid transmission cycles eliminates the mechanical aspect of current counters the landfill gas industry uses.
Therefore, what is needed is a way to eliminate or reduce flaws of conventional mechanical counters with an electronic fluid transmission cycle counter that is more accurate, reduces labor, improves time efficiency, and removes human error from reporting the counter values.